VIP Cinema: Leather chairs, in-seat meal service and more

You’ve probably seen the Cineplex ads that promise a VIP Cinema experience at the movies and possibly wondered what it’s all about.

Over the holidays, I saw a movie in a VIP theatre and have to say that yes, the wide leather high-back chairs, in-seat food and drink service (more about the menu below) and reserved seating are fantastic.

But you’ll pay for these perks: $19.50 per ticket instead of the regular $12.50 gets you into the theatre; once you’re there, you’ll pay again for any food and drinks you order.

Kyle Moffatt, the director of communications for Cineplex, says the VIP experience has actually been around for a while, with the first such theatre being built in Ontario 10 years ago. The chain’s second and third VIP theatres, also in Ontario, weren’t built until two years ago.

The fourth such theatre in Canada was built at the SilverCity in Coquitlam, opening on Dec. 19.

The chain has been tinkering with the concept for many years, and “we feel we finally got it right,” Moffatt said in an interview recently.

Why SilverCity Coquitlam? For starters, with 20 screens, Coquitlam had the space to handle the conversion. At a total cost of $2 million, Cineplex gutted and then rebuilt the interiors of five of the 20 theatres, right down to repouring concrete to accommodate the new wider seats. In the front row, the seats are actually recliners.

The largest of these five theatres previously had 340 seats; with the remodel, it now has just 100 seats. Each seat has a table, and the armrests lift up for easier cuddling.

And there is the very cool in-seat food and drink service: Servers take your order at your seat, and then serve it to you before the movie starts. In addition to the regular popcorn and candy, VIP theatre-goers can also order appetizers such as Vegetable Spring Rolls ($7.99), Thai Chili Chicken ($8.99) and Edamame ($6.99). Entrees include Grilled Chicken Caesar Wraps ($10.49) and Mediterranean Flatbread Pizzas ($9.99). Also on the menu are desserts such as Strawberry Cheesecake ($5.99) and a host of virgin cocktails ($4.99).

There is a dedicated box office (you can also buy tickets online), and a 19+ age restriction is in effect at all times in the theatre. However, theatre-goers under 19 are allowed into an adjoining VIP lounge if they are accompanied by someone who is 19 or older.

VIP theatres are very popular, Moffatt says — on opening nights, they are usually the first to sell out — though Cineplex doesn’t seem to be in a great rush to expand the service. The next VIP theatres to open in B.C. won’t come until later this year or early in 2013, when a new theatre is built in Abbotsford; of those 11 screens, three will be VIP theatres.

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